Crime rates 'scam' probe stepped up

AN investigation into an alleged bogus crime figures fraud by police has been widened. An inquiry was launched at the end of last year after concern that villains had been encouraged to confess to crimes they had not committed.

AN INVESTIGATION into an alleged bogus crime figures fraud by police has been widened.

As revealed in the Manchester Evening News, an inquiry was launched at the end of last year into claims that criminals had been encouraged to confess to crimes they had not committed.

The alleged scam boosted detection rates in the Stockport area to such an extent that the division became the envy of the force.

It was claimed more than 600 crimes which had been declared solved had never even been investigated.

A number of police officers were interviewed and a file was sent to the Crown Prosecution Service which is currently considering whether any criminal charges should be made.

Returned

Now the Manchester Evening News has learned that the investigation team has returned to the Stockport area to examine whether hundreds of other crimes have been correctly declared as solved.

The inquiry focused on "TICs", which are crimes "taken into consideration" when criminals are sentenced at court for offences they have admitted.

It examined whether officers blamed certain crimes - mainly burglaries - on crooks who had not committed them. Originally the inquiry covered offences relating to specific criminals between April 1 and September 30, 2001.

Now "TIC" crimes outside that period relating to the same people are being examined. Detectives under suspicion were alleged to have "wooed" criminals by taking them out of prison while they were awaiting trial for other offences.

Offences

In one alleged case a crook was able to see his newborn child for the first time when he unwittingly signed documents in which he wrongly admitted hundreds of offences.

The problem first came to light when police bosses were so impressed by Stockport's high success rates in fighting crime that they decided to look at the division in detail.

The inquiry is headed by high-ranking Greater Manchester Police officers. After it began, a massive shake-up of police in Stockport's J1 division was ordered.